Big Finish Does Time War...

[StCoop]

You mean Romana III, don't you? Drusilla from Buffy The Vampire Slayer is the Time Lady now.

Juliet Landau is Romana? Wow. I hope she's improved her fake English accent since her Buffy days.

Well Romana's not English so it doesn't really matter...

(She's very enthusiastic about the job too; certainly the only person who made their own costume for publicity photos.)

 

[werdegast]

The Big Finish Podcast is up with... John Hurt!!

http://www.bigfinish.com/podcasts/v/the-big-finish-podcast---with-john-hurt

It is pretty short and starts with the opening of one of their upcoming shows.

 

[M.A.C.O.]

I am excited. Love me some audio dramas.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

I don't really know. I enjoy books, I enjoy TV and films. But I would never listen to radio plays or the like or even spoken-word versions of books. It's just not a format that I can imagine sitting down and listening to. I'd prefer to listen to music. That's not to take away from others' enjoyment of it; I can't really explain it any more than I can explain why I don't like broccoli!

I understand the feeling.

But you know what's weird? I love the Doctor Who audio plays but I'm not at all interested in the novels. Yet I love the Star Trek novels (well, declining over recent years, but I still love the old ones I read) but I really have no interest in Star Trek in audio format (I don't have any interest in the one Sulu audio).

That being said, I was too young and not in the right place in my life during the so-called "Wilderness Years" when the Doctor Who novels were really popular.

I feel exactly the same way. I didn't even know there was one Star Trek audio out there. I cherish my Federation novel still.

Huh. I guess you both have a point.

 

[Christopher]

You mean Romana III, don't you? Drusilla from Buffy The Vampire Slayer is the Time Lady now.

Juliet Landau is Romana? Wow. I hope she's improved her fake English accent since her Buffy days.

Well Romana's not English so it doesn't really matter...

Have you ever heard a Time Lord speak with an American accent? (Eric Roberts' Master doesn't really count, I think, since the Master took over the body of an American paramedic.)

But you know what's weird? I love the Doctor Who audio plays but I'm not at all interested in the novels. Yet I love the Star Trek novels (well, declining over recent years, but I still love the old ones I read) but I really have no interest in Star Trek in audio format (I don't have any interest in the one Sulu audio)....

I feel exactly the same way. I didn't even know there was one Star Trek audio out there.

There are actually three original Captain Sulu audiobooks, Transformations, Cacophony, and Envoy. They're in a semi-dramatized format, presented as collections of log entries and dictated letters and journals by George Takei as Sulu and various other guest actors, but with no actual interaction between actors. There are also audiobook versions of various Trek novels, usually abridged.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Are the audio dramas just the spoken dialogue, or is there also narrative?

I think that might be difference between one liking or not liking them.

I too used to love reading the DW books. I've never listened to any of the audio stuff, so I don't know how much I would like BF.

A book has the "dialogue" plus what would be narrative or visuals (description of the location, etc.), so that would help my imagination as far as what's happening. Tolkien always did an excellent job of making you "see" Middle Earth.

 

[stardream]

I listened to the audios of the Eighth Doctor simply because I wanted him to have a couple of 'seasons'. Him having just one adventure just didn't seem right.

I wasn't interested in much beyond that but this sounds interesting.

 

[Saul]

Well this is fantastic news. Not a big audio fan but 'Night of the Doctor' was what got me interested in his audio adventures. I listened to some 'Blake's 7' stuff too. I guess what appeals to me is that it's more closely linked to the series with the actual actors playing the roles which adds a certain sense of continuity.

With the 8th Doctor, War Doctor and River Song all showing up on audio it's really making me want to dive even deeper into it.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Are the audio dramas just the spoken dialogue, or is there also narrative?

Most of Big Finish's Doctor Who is full-cast audio plays, with narrative and the whole thing. Its basically audio episodes, really - 5 through 8 in the Main Range follow the traditional four-episode structure, with Eight having his own series of single disc episodes. The Fourth Doctor has his own series too, and its two-parters.

The difference is the dialogue between the characters can be a touch more descriptive, as it is audio, and not visual after all. But its not audiobook style.

There are, however, the Companion Chronicles, which are told in third person mode, with a companion usually describing an adventure he or she had with one of the first three Doctors in past tense, with her saying said story after the fact. But thats the only instance that I know of of third person, audiobook-style narration (that, and the celebratory Destiny of the Doctor series).

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

I listened to the audios of the Eighth Doctor simply because I wanted him to have a couple of 'seasons'. Him having just one adventure just didn't seem right.

I wasn't interested in much beyond that but this sounds interesting.

Have you listened to Chimes of Midnight? Thats his best audio, I think.

 

[The Four Doctor]

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wonderful news! He'll get a fair crack of the whip at last and I'm sure I won't mind him HALF so much if I DON'T HAVE TO LOOK AT THE GODAWFUL BEARD.

Gods, I hope the Tennant rumours are still true though and someone didn't just leap to conclusions about WHICH New Who Doctor would be returning...

 

[stardream]

I listened to the audios of the Eighth Doctor simply because I wanted him to have a couple of 'seasons'. Him having just one adventure just didn't seem right.

I wasn't interested in much beyond that but this sounds interesting.

Have you listened to Chimes of Midnight? Thats his best audio, I think.

Yes! I agree 100%.

I also listened to the 'audio' adventures of the 11th Doctor. Those are the same as Big Finish...more like audio novels.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Yes! I agree 100%.

I also listened to the 'audio' adventures of the 11th Doctor. Those are the same as Big Finish...more like audio novels.

You mean Destiny of the Doctor?

And really, the Eighth Doctor's at his best with the New Adventures of the Eighth Doctor. Lucie Miller's no Charley Pollard, but she's nearly as good.

 

[Kelso]

I'd be willing to forgive the Doctor not recognizing Professor Yana's face for the pure joy of hearing Hurt and Jacobi facing off in Doctor Who.

 

[stardream]

You mean Destiny of the Doctor?

There is a category of audio adventures that are not spoken versions of the printed books. They are completely separate stories.

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Eleventh_Doctor_audio_stories

 

[Hartzilla2007]

I'd be willing to forgive the Doctor not recognizing Professor Yana's face for the pure joy of hearing Hurt and Jacobi facing off in Doctor Who.

Except the show already established that the Master ran away before the Time War went to hell, while from the sounds of Night of the Doctor the war going to hell is what lead to 8 choosing to become the War Doctor.

So the chnaces of them running into each other are kind of slim.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I can explain why I don't like broccoli - the state is awful, and the smell alone repels me from eating it.

And I don't think its the same to compared audiobooks to full cast audio dramas. For all intents and pruposes, the latter is usually normal episodes but without visuals.

Besides, aren't you interested in decent storytelling that can also fill in the blanks created from the show? I mean, don't want to experience a proper run for the Sixth Doctor, complete with a regeneration story?

Not a great example for me - I've always disliked Six! Sorry! I mean, I know you're a fan and many people rave about Colin's take on him for BF, buT I've just no interest in seeing or hearing more of that incarnation.

I don't really know. I enjoy books, I enjoy TV and films. But I would never listen to radio plays or the like or even spoken-word versions of books. It's just not a format that I can imagine sitting down and listening to. I'd prefer to listen to music. That's not to take away from others' enjoyment of it; I can't really explain it any more than I can explain why I don't like broccoli!

I understand the feeling.

But you know what's weird? I love the Doctor Who audio plays but I'm not at all interested in the novels. Yet I love the Star Trek novels (well, declining over recent years, but I still love the old ones I read) but I really have no interest in Star Trek in audio format (I don't have any interest in the one Sulu audio).

That being said, I was too young and not in the right place in my life during the so-called "Wilderness Years" when the Doctor Who novels were really popular.

I used to read a lot of Star Trek books but found it too expensive after a while and I got put off by the increasing continuity-heavy relationship between the the books. Again, I know some people like that but I found it too hard to keep track of the state of the federation post-DS9 and to remember who new book-only characters were.

I guess I'm just not a completist any more, mainly for reasons of time. I've 2 kids, a busy job with no fixed hours and I have other hobbies like reading, music, playing the guitar or the gym. So I just about get time to watch various TV programmes on TV or catch some films at the cinema. There's just too much non-TV Who out there to catch up on. I suppose I could listen to CDs in the car but I'd sooner listen to music, TBH.

Are the audio dramas just the spoken dialogue, or is there also narrative?

I think that might be difference between one liking or not liking them.

I too used to love reading the DW books. I've never listened to any of the audio stuff, so I don't know how much I would like BF.

A book has the "dialogue" plus what would be narrative or visuals (description of the location, etc.), so that would help my imagination as far as what's happening. Tolkien always did an excellent job of making you "see" Middle Earth.

The visual thing would be important for me too. I like how a good writer can make you visualise the whole scene. But I like it to be narrative, not dialogue. I meant to quote Emperor Tiberius' post where he said about the dialogue being descriptive because it's an audio drama. I think that would take me out of it, TBH. I'm not a fan of expository dialogue.

Like I say, that's not to take away from anyone else's enjoyment of audio dramas in general or BF in particular. I think it's great that they're out there and it's great that they can get actors of the calibre of Hurt. It's just not for me.

 

[Iamnotspock]

I'd be willing to forgive the Doctor not recognizing Professor Yana's face for the pure joy of hearing Hurt and Jacobi facing off in Doctor Who.

Except the show already established that the Master ran away before the Time War went to hell, while from the sounds of Night of the Doctor the war going to hell is what lead to 8 choosing to become the War Doctor.

So the chnaces of them running into each other are kind of slim.

I don't think that's the implication. Yes, "The Night of the Doctor" saw the Sisterhood of Karn warning the Doctor, who'd been a conscientious objector, that the war threatened all reality, but McGann then regenerated into a young Hurt. By the final days of the war - when the Skaro Degradations and the Could-Have-Been-King made their appearances and it "turned into hell" - he'd grown old and presumably been fighting for hundreds of years, so there's a long time between "The Night..." and the end of the war for the Master to battle (either with or against) the Doctor before running.

It would make the most sense for it to be Alex MacQueen though, given that the Tenth Doctor not recognising Professor Yana was such a huge deal.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Radio Times has up the first clip from Hurt's Big Finish audios.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I received the second box set, Infernal Devices, at work today.

John Hurt was clearly born to be a Doctor, as you'd think he'd been playing the Doctor for years, not just a few hours.